The invention relates to a shuttlecock with an essentially conical crown, wherein the crown has an integrally formed attachment element formed in the region of the narrow end of the crown, and with a striking cap which is dome-shaped at least in a front region, as viewed in the flight direction, and is anchored in the attachment element.
In the context of the present description, “shuttlecock” refers to an aerodynamic object which can be used for ballgames, or as an implement in a ballgame, or a part of a ballgame. The shuttlecock can, in particular, have the shape of a badminton ball, whereby the crown of the shuttlecock corresponds to the skirt of the badminton ball.
The literature does not employ uniform terminology when referring to the various components of the aerodynamic object of interest, so that these terms need to be more clearly defined in the present description. Because of the close relationship with competitive badminton, reference for further clarification is made to the corresponding expressions used in badminton. It should also be pointed out in this context that occasionally several different terms are used for the same part or component and that not all commonly used terms are exhaustively recited in the present description.
In the context of the present description, the typical flight direction is referred to as “forward”, so that the striking cap of the shuttlecock is located in the “front” and the crown is located in the “rear.” The conical crown therefore has in the “forward” direction a narrow region and in the “rearward” direction a wide region.
In the following, similarities and potential differences between “shuttlecock” and “badminton” shuttle will be described. A discussion of the differences will also explain why the term “shuttlecock” instead of the term “badminton” is selected in this case.
Regarding the conventional terminology used in badminton, reference is made to the following terms used in the English language: the skirt of a badminton ball is typically referred to as “skirt.” The base of a badminton ball is typically referred to as “striking cap.” According to the rules for competitive badminton, the badminton ball as a whole is referred to as “shuttle” which has a “skirt” and a “base”, with the base being referred to in the context of the present specification as striking cap.
The crown of the shuttlecock and the skirt of the badminton ball can be made of feathers or of a man-made material. When using natural material, in particular feathers, for example goose feathers, the feathers can be placed into the striking cap with their (stripped) quills. The striking cap can be made, for example, of cork. The crown or skirt can then be subdivided into a front section, which is formed by the front sections of the quills, and an abutting rear section, which is formed by the feather barbs. This region of the feather barbs is typically referred to as “vane area.”
When using man-made material, for example plastic, the crown or skirt is frequently constructed so that it can likewise be divided into sections, similar to the crown/skirt made of feathers, wherein the front section can be formed of “stems” which essentially correspond to the front section of the quills and diverge towards the rear at an angle, as viewed from the striking cap, conforming to the conical basic shape of the crown or skirt. The crown or skirt section formed by the stems is referred to, for example, as “upper skirt.” An additional section, which corresponds to the vane area for a crown or skirt made of feathers, can abut the front crown or skirt section. In addition to the rear sections of the stems, the vane area can include, for example, ribs which interconnect the stems in the transverse direction, as well as connecting ribs extending essentially parallel to the stems, thereby forming an approximately network-like structure which forms the approximately conical basic shape in this section.
An end ring, which can be formed, for example, as a disk or an annular disk and connect the stems with each other, can be provided in the front region of the crown or skirt, i.e., in the front end section of the stems. The diameter of the end ring is typically slightly smaller than the diameter of the striking cap. The or a fastening element, which serves as a connection or anchor with the striking cap, can be integrally formed on the end ring as a forward-pointing shoulder. For example, an approximately cylindrical attachment pin, referred to as “stem extension collar,” can be provided, with a diameter of approximately half the diameter of the striking cap.
A front section of the striking cap can have a forwardly extending dome-shaped element, and a rear section of the striking cap can have an approximately cylindrical shape. The diameter of the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical section corresponds essentially to the base diameter of the dome-shaped element.
The striking cap can also have a rear opening formed, for example, as a hollow cylinder and adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped fastening element. In this way, an approximately ring-shaped rear boundary wall can be formed on the striking cap which, when assembled, abuts the region of the front stems and/or the end ring.
Examples describing the aforedescribed conventional features are provided in the following publications GB 887,172, GB 908,684, GB 1,046,708, DE 2 321 861.
The differences or possible differences between a badminton ball and a shuttlecock will now be described.
The badminton rules stipulate that a badminton ball includes either real feathers or a corresponding feather imitation made of a synthetic material. When using feathers, 16 feathers must be employed having a uniform length of between approximately 62 to 70 mm, and the quills must be located on a circle having a diameter between 58 and 68 mm. The diameter of the base must be between 25 and 28 mm, and the weight of the badminton shuttle must be between 4.74 and 5.50 grams.
Rules similar to these badminton rules also apply to badminton shuttles made of a synthetic material, except that deviations of up to 10 percent are tolerated.
However, in the context of the present description, the aforementioned badminton rules do not apply to a shuttlecock according to the invention.
For example, a shuttlecock according to the invention can have a greater weight than the aforedescribed badminton ball, in particular a weight of between 6 and 50 grams, for example approximately 9 grams. The dimensions of a shuttlecock can also be different from those stipulated by the badminton rules. For example, the outside surface of the crown of a shuttlecock can have a length of between 30 and 50 mm, for example approximately 38 mm. Moreover, a circle formed by the rear boundary of the crown can, for example, have a diameter between approximately 40 and 68 mm, for example approximately 50 mm. The diameter of the striking cap can also be less than, for example, 25 mm, for example approximately between 20 and 25 mm.
Due to the aforedescribed deviations, the shuttlecock can have aerodynamic properties different from those of a badminton shuttle. In particular, the higher weight and “shorter” crown can give the trajectory an overall greater stability, thus achieving greater airspeed and a greater range. For example, the increased stability can advantageously reduce the sideways drift in crosswinds. With the aforementioned qualitative changes in the flight characteristic, the shuttlecock can advantageous be used under atmospheric or “outdoor” conditions, as opposed to the “indoor” conditions for badminton.
FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 3a show schematically a conventional shuttlecock of the aforedescribed type. FIG. 2a shows a striking cap 3 and a crown 2 abutting the rear end of the striking cap 3. The crown 2 has a front crown section 20 which abuts the striking cap 3. The front crown section 20 is formed by front sections of stems 21. A rear crown section 22 which is formed by the rear portions of the stems 21, transverse ribs 25 and connecting ribs 24, is arranged rearward of the front crown section 20. (Not all the illustrated stems 21, ribs 25 and connecting ribs 24 are provided with reference symbols so as not to overcomplicate the drawing. The illustrated number of stems 21, ribs 25 and connecting ribs 24 in the figures is also to be understood as merely illustrative and not limiting in any way).
A different number of stems 21 can be provided, for example 16 stems. In addition, for example, five ribs can be provided, and six connecting ribs 24 can be disposed in region between two corresponding stems 21.
FIG. 2b shows schematically an exploded view of the shuttlecock with the striking cap 3 removed. The forward ends of the stems are held together by an end ring 27. The front region of the end ring 27 has an integrally formed, essentially cylindrical fastening pin 26.
The striking cap 3 can be divided into a front dome-shaped section 31 and a following substantially cylindrical rear section 32. The striking cap 3 has a rear opening 33 adapted to receive the fastening pin 26. The opening 33 has a circular edge, so that the striking cap 3 forms a ring-shaped rear wall 34.
The connection between the crown 2 and the striking cap 3 can be improved by providing, for example, two compression rings, a front compression ring 35 and a rear compression ring 36. However, only a single compression ring may be provided.
FIG. 3a shows schematically a perspective view of the shuttlecock of FIGS. 2a and 2b, whereby identical elements are indicated with the same reference symbols. More particularly shown is the ring-shaped rear wall 34 of the striking cap 3, with the end ring 27 arranged following the inner boundary or edge of the striking cap 3 when the shuttlecock is assembled. The front ends of the stems 21 are connected to the end ring 27.
The striking cap can be made, for example, of thermoplastic polyolefins, polyethylene or polypropylene, in particular TBE-EPDM. The crown can also be made of plastic.
Regarding the aforedescribed conventional shuttlecocks, reference is made to the international PCT applications WO 92/05843 A1 and WO 01/17620 A1.
WO 92/05843 A1 describes a shuttlecock having a light source. The light source emits light most effectively in the flight direction.
The shuttlecock described in WO 01/17620 A1 has a radially protruding, flange-like rim disposed on the front end of a cylindrical fastening pin for firmly connecting the striking cap with the crown. This document also discloses compression rings made of a rigid plastic material and being secured in a rear cylindrical region of the striking cap by an elastic deformation of the cap material.
The German utility model G 93 09 431 U1 discloses an aerodynamic striking cap with dimple-shaped indentations on the surface which are oriented in the flight direction for improving the aerodynamic properties. A hole can be provided instead of a central dimple. This document also suggests that a neck in the striking cap which abuts the rear section of the striking cap can include on the surface a ring-shaped dimple in a signal color.
The German utility model DE 91 10 804 U1 discloses a shuttlecock with an interchangeable cylindrical core. The core is used to stabilize the flight characteristic.
The German utility model DE 33 29 205 U1 discloses a shuttlecock with a weighting element made of plastic. The weighting element can be attached to a disk-shaped anchor plate located on the inside of the crown. The weighting element can be used to alter the playing characteristic of the shuttlecock.
The German published patent application DE 106 46 508 A1 discloses a ballgame, wherein the ball is configured according to a shuttlecock or badminton ball and includes a headpiece with a spherical surface. The headpiece forms a contact surface for the face of a racket. The ball also has a feather section with several two-dimensional elements that stabilize the flight. The flight characteristic, such as the range, trajectory, speed and/or stability of the ball, can be altered by interchanging the headpieces and/or spacers mounted between the headpiece and the feather section.